Inteva finds value in cloud manufacturing ERP

When analysts and consultants get in a room together to advise a client the heat levels have a tendency to rise dramatically. We don’t always agree and we often hold strong views. That’s OK behind closed doors and is all part of the rough and tumble of trying to parse the technology business.

So when Plex Systems said they were bringing a customer on deck during last week’s analyst day, the assembled group were slightly taken aback. On the one hand we love to see customers. On the other, would that mean we’d have to temper our natural enthusiasm for ‘going at it?’ More to the point, would the customer feel uncomfortable?

It turns out that Dennis Hodges, CIO Inteva Products, an 11.500 person strong diverse manufacturing business spread across 18 countries was up to the task. As a Texan, he’s more than used to rough and tumble but that was un-necessary as he provided us with some valuable insights into the transformation his company made when it switched from an SAP system to Plex. It helped that his delivery was peppered with some humorous observations. Tall hats and big boots had something to do with it.

By his own admission, Hodges was ‘highly skeptical’ that the Plex replacement systems would work but as an innovator, he realised that users come first and sometimes you just have to take what seems like a substantial risk at the time. The company voted for Plex because it was much easier to use while delivering the information they need to run the business. Today, Hodges says Inteva could not run without Plex.

Our short conversation above talks to the key points of selecting a systme and the benefits that can be derived from manufacturing cloud ERP.